For the longest time we thought this review would never happen. Originally a 2010 title for the PSP, Trails From Zero never left Japan, despite a lot of hype by Western fans. The demand for Xero only increased after the Trails boom a few years ago, when the sequel series Trails of Cold Steel was localized on PS3, Vita, and later on PS4. Given that Falcom’s long-running The Legend of Heroes franchise has an overarching storyline that ties all the games together, it’s easy to understand why invested fans might want to get their hands on each installment.
Thankfully, NIS America is on publishing duty, with Western enthusiasts’ dreams finally coming true. it’s taken one long time to get here – and we still have one long Way to go – but the trails from Xero have been well worth the wait. There are a few problems with this PS4 remaster, but they aren’t enough to detract from a brilliant Japanese RPG.
Trails from Zero comes from an era when Falcom was still dealing with character sprites and fixed camera angles. If you’re moving from the aforementioned Cold Steel games to Zero — which are entirely 3D — you might find the graphical downgrade jarring. But despite its obvious technical limitations, there’s an old-school charm to the Xero that’s hard to ignore. In its art direction and expressive characterization, Falcom has been able to deliver a gripping experience.
You play as Lloyd Bannings, a freshly certified detective moving back to Crossbell, the city-state where he grew up. Lloyd’s goal of becoming a top-class instrument of justice is quickly derailed, however, as he is not transferred to a newly formed and experimental police division known as the Special Assistance Section – or SSS for short. goes.
Traces of Xero’s story is about the rise of this off-brand organization. A ragtag group of gangsters to begin with, the SSS quickly finds itself at the mercy of Crossbell’s criminal underbelly, as rampant corruption in the police department and government threatens to jeopardize the city-state’s already uncertain future. gives.
As expected from Falcom at this point, the game does an amazing job of placing bets. Comprehensive exposure over many conversations and searches is slowly provided, and it’s hard not to be completely invested. The Japanese developer’s talent for world building is undeniable, with Crossbell itself one of the property’s most memorable settings.
Actually, Absolute Zero takes place in and around a technologically advanced city. During this 50-hour adventure, you’ll get to know its streets, shops and nearby landmarks like the back of your hand. As is the case with Kamurocho in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, Crossbell can almost be considered the star of the show.
But at least for us, these are the characters who steal the spotlight in Zero. Lloyd is joined by three main party members in the SSS: prominent and proper Allie McDowell, 14-year-old genius Teo Plato, and fallback rookie Randy Orlando. Lloyd himself borders on your classic anime hero – righteous and friendly to a fault, and arguably a bit bland – but his allies bring out his best qualities as a leader and as an effective detective.
The main cast bounced off each other exceptionally well. Compared to what you’ll find in Cold Steel games, it’s a relatively small party—but it allows each character to have a meaningful say in every story. As such, there is a subtlety to the dialogue writing that is perhaps lost in Cold Steel’s character cacophony.
and there is very Dialogue in Trails From Zero. Trails is nothing new to the title, but again, if you’re coming from Cold Steel games, the lack of dynamic camera angles during cutscenes means you can only see static character sprite sprite reams and reams of text. are. minutes at a time. It can all get a touch monotone, especially when long stretches of investigative police work keep you away from dungeon exploration and fighting.
In fact, the tedious side quests are probably Xero’s biggest problem. Jobs in which you’re trekking from one side of a crossbowl to the other and back again just to chat with an NPC or collect a specific item are frustratingly common. Questions that make you revisit previously cleared dungeons are also an annoyance. These optional objectives start out looking like padding, but if you leave them on, you’re going to miss out on unique dialogue, some extra world building, and rare equipment. Again, we’re grateful for the option to speed up gameplay with L2’s push, which certainly makes backtracking more bearable.
But when you take a knee in the game’s main story, you’ll forget about those side quest grips. There’s a bit of a stop-start to the plot in the first few chapters – mainly because the game is so keen to establish the setting, characters, and concepts of the universe – but it really starts once the foundations are laid. The title’s final story is notably a barnstormer, bringing everything together for a frantic finale.
Likewise, Zero’s combat system gets better as the game progresses. With Lloyd and the gang only having access to a limited pool of crafts (character specific abilities) and arts (elemental magic spells), turn-based combat starts out rather basic, but as you collect increasingly rare quartz, your options increase. Expand rapidly (Giving Art – Equipment) and level up your heroes.
There’s a tactical edge to combat trails, and Zero’s take is no different. Each craft and art has its own sphere of influence, and you have to constantly think about how to best use your attacks, whether that’s capturing multiple enemies in one strike, or inflicting maximum damage on a boss. You’ll also need to consider buffs, debuffs, and status effects, all of which add some much-needed spice to a system that would otherwise make it more difficult to kill enemies than they kill you.
Fights are mostly entertaining affairs when your enemies present a substantial threat; There is satisfaction in defeating them in the most efficient way. But it’s the boss battles that stand out – especially the latter – demanding a more cautious approach, and a greater reliance on your all-out super craft, which can also be used for obstacles. Charming stuff, even if it isn’t as flashy or as attractive as it was about to come in the Cold Steel series.
Source
